PEARL IN A CAGE

By Joy Dettman

Blurb: On a balmy midsummer's evening in 1923, a young woman foreign, dishevelled and heavily pregnant is found unconscious just off the railway tracks in the tiny logging community of Woody Creek. The town midwife, Gertrude Foote, is roused from her bed when the woman is brought to her door. Try as she might, Gertrude is unable to save her, but the baby lives. Gertrude's daughter Amber who has recently lost a son in childbirth and her husband Norman take the child in.

I've been wanting to read on of Joy's books for a while as I keep seeing them, but they look so big and  my reading time is limited, however I decided to give it a go. I wasn't disappointed. I loved it so much that when I had finished, and realised it was the first book in a series 'The Woody Creek' series I just had to download the next book immediately to my kindle.

The writing was so good, I just felt like I was living in the town and knew all the characters so well. I really felt for Jenny having to live with such a cruel mother and sister and kept wanting her Granny, Gertrude, to tell her the truth, but no, that wasn't to be...well not yet anyway, who knows what is in store in the next few books, I believe there are 5 or 6 in the series. I can't wait!

BURNING BLUE

by Paul Griffin

[Blurb: 'How far would you go for love, beauty, and jealousy?

When Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in her wealthy New Jersey high school, is splashed with acid on the left side of her perfect face, the whole world takes notice. But quiet loner Jay Nazarro does more than that--he decides to find out who did it. Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak, and he also has a secret: He's a brilliant hacker. But the deeper he digs, the more danger he's in--and the more he falls for Nicole. Too bad everyone is turning into a suspect, including Nicole herself.

Award-winning author Paul Griffin has written a high-stakes, soulful mystery about the meaning--and dangers--of love and beauty']

Great, great, great book. Couldn't put it down. Nicole was beautiful and there were many jealous of her, but who would be so cruel as to throw acid in her face? Although Jay isn't her friend, he decides to make it his business to find out who has done this hideous crime. When Nicole finds out about Jay she starts to confide in him and they soon become friends, and Jay finds that somehow there is a link between his father and her parents, which he can't quite work out. 

He discovers there are many who may have wanted to harm Nicole, but as the plot thickens there are many twists and turns that will have you guessing until the end. Well worth a read.

THE SEEING

by Diana Hendry

[Blurb: 1953. When wild, dangerous, break-all-the-rules Natalie arrives in the quiet town of Norton, thirteen-year-old Lizzie is drawn irresistibly to the new girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Desperate for Natalie's friendship and respect, Lizzie soon discovers a side of the town - and of herself - that she had never imagined.

As the girls grow closer, Natalie and her strange, eerie brother, Philip, reveal a shocking secret. For Philip has a second sight, and all around them he sees evil - 'left-over Nazis' lying in wait until the time is right for revenge. Natalie and Philip believe it's up to them to root these people out of Norton.

Lizzie is swept up in what starts as a thrilling game - but the consequences of Philip's 'gift' quickly spiral into disaster.

A chilling, powerful tale from Whitbread Award-winner Diana Hendry.]

This was a chilling tale! It was strange right from the start. Reading the first few pages (the Prologue) I had no idea what the setting was and when I finished the book I actually went back and read it again... now I knew what it all meant!

When Lizzie pals up with a very strange girl from school, Natalie, and her brother, Phillip, she will have no idea how her life will change. According to Natalie, Philip has an eerie secret... he sees things. Nazi's, who are sleepers in their village. To win Natalie's friendship Lizzie goes along with the secret mission to seek out all those Phillip points the finger at and they must try to run them out of town. 

Natalie and her brother live in the poor end of town and her mother is incapable of looking after them. Lizzie lives on the right side of town and has a very different home life to her two friends. 

This story is gripping, I couldn't put it down, and at the end quite disturbing. It certainly wasn't a 'feel good' read but it was very interesting.

ALICE BLISS

by Laura Harrington

[Blurb: When Alice Bliss learns that her father, Matt, is being deployed to Iraq, she's heartbroken. Alice idolizes her father, loves working beside him in their garden, accompanying him on the occasional roofing job, playing baseball. When he ships out, Alice is faced with finding a way to fill the emptiness he has left behind.

Matt will miss seeing his daughter blossom from a tomboy into a full-blown teenager. Alice will learn to drive, join the track team, go to her first dance, and fall in love, all while trying to be strong for her mother, Angie, and take care of her precocious little sister, Ellie. But the smell of Matt is starting to fade from his blue shirt that Alice wears everyday, and the phone calls are never long enough.

Alice Bliss is a profoundly moving coming-of-age novel about love and its many variations--the support of a small town looking after its own; love between an absent father and his daughter; the complicated love between an adolescent girl and her mother; and an exploration of new love with the boy-next-door. These characters' struggles amidst uncertain times echo our own, lending the novel an immediacy and poignancy that is both relevant and real. At once universal and very personal, Alice Bliss is a transforming story about those who are left at home during wartime, and a teenage girl bravely facing the future.]

Unfortunately I only got half way through this book. It started of well, and I was at first interested in Alice and her relationship with her father, who had been sent to fight in Iraq, however it didn't hold my attention after half way through, and I decided to move onto the next book in my huge pile to read.

THE PEOPLE SMUGGLER

By Robin de Crespigny

 (Blurb on back)
At once a non-fiction thriller and a moral maze, this is one man's epic story of trying to find a safe place in the world.
When Ali Al Jenabi flees Saddam Hussein's torture chambers, he is forced to leave his family behind in Iraq. What follows is an incredible international odyssey through the shadow world of fake passports, crowded camps and illegal border crossings, living every day with excruciating uncertainty about what the next will bring.
Through betrayal, triumph, misfortune – even romance and heartbreak – Ali is sustained by his fierce love of freedom and family. Continually pushed to the limits of his endurance, eventually he must confront what he has been forced to become.
With enormous power and insight, The People Smuggler tells a story of daily heroism, bringing to life the forces that drive so many people to put their lives in unscrupulous hands. It is an utterly gripping portrait of a man cut loose from the protections of civilisation, attempting to retain his dignity and humanity while taking whatever path he can out of an impossible position.

What more can I say... This is an amazing story of survival yet complete frustration. Ali never really experienced a proper childhood, tortured from an early age, being forced to watch his younger brother tortured, being a prisoner for years, fleeing for his life, losing contact with his wife and child, only to be locked up in a detention camp for as long as the Australian Government decide. I cannot believe people can read this book and not feel for those fleeing war torn countries for their lives and their children's lives. What would you or I do to save our family? You won't be the same after reading Ali's story. Just where has our compassion gone? Not a 'must read' but a 'PLEASE READ'.

ARENA ONE (The Survival Trilogy)

by Morgan Rice

Talk about fast paced book. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games then you'll love this great new series. Another Dystopia type YA fiction which I mostly enjoyed reading. Morgan Rice is a #1 best selling author who also wrote The Vampire Journals.

Seventeen year old Brook and her younger sister, Bree, are living in the wilderness trying to survive after a civil war has broken out in New York and everyone is living in a post-apocalyptic world, with few survivors. Those who still live in the city are Slaverunners, who roam the countryside trying to find survivors on the run, or crazies who are like zombies attacking those who venture out of the city walls. There are also the bio-chem guys who have been terribly burnt and disfigured from bombs during the war.

When Bree is kidnapped, Brook must risk her life to try to find  and rescue her sister from certain death. There are plenty of chases, shooting and danger, including a battle to the death in Arena One, much like Hunger Games.

I mostly liked this book however I did find a few annoying factors. Firstly I felt it was trying to be a little too much like Hunger Games and it fell terribly short. The writing was no where near as good, and at times Brook was doing things that were quite unrealistic, and in fact completely unbelievable. I didn't think it was necessary to include very young girls becoming sex slaves in a YA fiction. The ending didn't really excite me which was disappointing, however I would probably still read the next two in the trilogy.

POET'S COTTAGE

by Josephine Pennicott

Once I picked up this book and began reading I could not put it down. Full of intrigue, mystery, murder, fantasy, and a bit of romance thrown in. I read it in a day and loved every minute of it until the last chapter or so when it left me slightly disappointed. I thought I'd worked out the truth of who really killed Pearl, then changed my mind several times throughout the book, only to find out I got it wrong.

The story draws us in immediately when Sadie and her teenage daughter, Betty, have inherited her grandmother's cottage in Tasmania. This beautiful little cottage, Poet's Cottage, has always had writers living in it, and Sadie, who is also a writer, sets out to find out more about her grandmother Pearl's life, whilst living in this small village during the 1930's, and the truth behind her vicious murder, which she will make into a book. She uncovers facts about her grandmother she was not aware of  and which are very different to how her mother portrays her. Pearl Tatlow, was an eccentric Children's book author  who was very glamorous but lived a very risque life, which didn't please the town folk. 

When Pearl was suddenly and viciously murdered, it sent the town spinning with rumours and the murderer was never found. Her two daughters, one being Sadie's mother, were in the yard playing when it happened. Saidies' aunt, Thomasina,  unfortunately found her mother's body and said that a devil had killed her. This was because it was believed that Pearl kept a Tasmanian Devil in the cellar to scare the children.

The switch from present day to 1930's was intriguing, particularly as the house was said to now be haunted and Sadie and her daughter had experienced some unusual things going on within the house. They must decide if they should stay and uncover the truth or flee back to Sydney. Having just read Kate Morton's newest book The Secret Keeper it reminded me a little of that story however not quite as good. Having said that, I do recommend it and loved the setting as I've actually had holidays in that part of Tassie and loved it.

TIGER'S QUEST

by Colleen Houck

This is the second book in the Tiger Saga series which finds Kelsey settling into life back in Oregon, going to College and trying to forget Ren. This is short lived however, as she soon must return to India and start another quest to save Ren, who has been taken hostage by evil Lokesh, and help Ren's brother, Kishan, who is also under the same curse.

Although I enjoyed the story, it didn't capture me as much as the first book. The story is still full of adventure and finding clues to aid her, and Kishan this time, to continue her quest to break the curse on the Princes. Danger is around every corner and  Kelsey must use all her faith she can muster to continue along the path. Once again the ending left you up in the air a little so you can't wait to explore book #3. 

SWEET TOOTH

by Ian McEwan

I thought by the cover and the blurb I would love this book; particularly with my fetish for spy movies, the ABC drama 'Spooks', the inviting cover and all the good reviews, but I was very disappointed. It's not very often that I discard a book and don't read right to the end, even if I don't like it much, but I did with this one, after being 1/3 of the way through.

The story is about Serena, a young attractive girl, who finds herself being groomed for the intelligence services and eventually is entrusted with her first 'secret mission' for MI5, named 'Sweet Tooth'. She is well read and loves the literary world, which is why she is requested to participate in this mission, which is to befriend a promising writer, Tom Harley. 

This book is about cold war, espionage, politics and love... but I got too bogged down in the politics of it all. I made the decision that if I hadn't liked it by my first 100 pages then I had plenty of other books to pursue, on my bed side table, that were beaconing me to dive into their pages.... so I gave up. Sorry Ian McEwan!

THE STORY OF BILLY YOUNG

By Anthony Hill

This is a wonderful biography of one of our youngest soldiers, at age 15, to be imprisoned by the Japanese in some of their notorious prisons. The story begins with Billy growing up in Sydney and Tasmania, when at an early age he became an orphan. From surviving on little food and money and selling items at Paddy's market in Sydney he decided joining up would give him a job and enough money to make him happy. Little did he know that he would be sent to Singapore, captured, and spend most of his teenage years in prison, experiencing some of the worst conditions and treatment imaginable. He was sent to Changi prison and then to Sandakan in Borneo, then after escaping he was recaptured and sent to the notorious Outram Road prison in Singapore, where he spent much of the next two years in solitary confinement.

It is a chilling account of what Billy had to endure, during some of the worst human degradation possible, and his extraordinary will to survive, along with the importance of mateship and comradship.  Billy Young had previously written about his life, but Anythony Hill has expanded and brought the story to life. It includes photos and paintings that Billy has painted himself depicting some of his memories of his time in prison. Apart from the torture that the men had to endure it was an inspirational story.

THE ACCUSED

By John Grisham

This is the third book in the great new YA fiction 'Theodore Boone' series, by John Grisham. The series is aimed at 8-13 yr olds so its not a super complicated read or plot for those wanting to get into crime thriller novels. Although this book follows on from the other two in the series you can certainly read it as a stand alone novel. 

Theo is a bit of a whiz with law, both his parents being lawyers, and he often helps out friends when called upon. However the tables are turned when Theo is accused of a crime  of theft and all the evidence leads to him being guilty. He is being set up and must try to find evidence to show the Police he is innocent. Someone is slashing his tyres and breaking into his locker but he has no idea who could be doing this to him or why. There is also another story woven through the book, continued from the previous books, about a man who is on a murder trial but suddenly goes missing. There is lots going on to take your attention. I'm sure teens will love this series and will be greatly anticipating the next book to come.

GIRL STOLEN

by April Henry

(I know ... the cover is similar to Extremely loud and incredibly close)

This was a really exciting read. Cheyenne is a young 16 yr old girl who is suffering from pneumonia and waiting in the back seat of her step mother's car, when it is stolen. Situation bad enough.... worse when you are blind!

Cheyenne must try to stay calm and use all her senses to help her gain valuable information and clues to aid her escape. Although Griffin, the man who stole the car, didn't know she was there when he broke into the car and drove off, he did have opportunity to return her to where he found her, but his fear of his father's ridicule of not being able to even steal a car properly, causes Griffin to panic. Once they find out Cheyenne's father is a wealthy business man they decide to blackmail him for a ransom for his daughter's safe return.

This is a book that will have you on edge of your seat. You feel for Cheyenne and wonder how she will break free of their grip. She is very clever and extremely brave throughout the story. A great read.

PARVANA'S PROMISE

by Deborah Ellis

This story is a sequel to Parvana and Parvana's Journey, where we find 15 yr old Parvana in a bombed out school, and taken by American troops who think she is a terrorist. When questioned she refuses to talk and this annoys the American's. They interrogate her and keep her in a cell until she tells them why she was there, but she is determined above all else to stand her ground.

Little by little we find the story unfolding as to why she was in the school. Obviously it has been bombed but each time I thought I knew the answer the story revealed something else happened. This school was a place for girls to learn to read and write along with many other useful skills, and is the passion of Parvana and her mother. It is difficult being a women in Afghanistan and there are many forces suppressing their independence and safety. 

I read this book in one sitting and enjoyed it very much. Although fiction, this story could be that of any number of girls living in this war torn country. Deborah Ellis has a beautiful way of allowing you to feel the emotion and frustration in the story. I felt I was walking in the shoes of Parvana and felt helpless to help her and her friends. A great YA novel.

KINGLAKE 350

by Adrian Hyland

When I picked this book to read over the holidays I had no idea I would be reading it during a heat wave and extreme weather conditions, similar to that day in February 2009, which was the worst bushfire disaster in Australia's history. Terrible fires are engulfing Tasmania and threatening Victoria and NSW as I read this account by Adrian Huland, who attempts to give an insight of the absolute terror that was forced on the Kinglake and surrounding districts during 'Black Saturday'. They weren't the only communities effected that day, as Bendigo and it's residents were also victims and suffered great loss.

This book focuses mainly on Sergeant Roger Wood's experience as he found himself in the middle of this unfolding disaster, not knowing if his own family were dead or alive. He, along with other Police and emergency services volunteers, helped to save many residents from death, in the most terrifying conditions known.  They were real heroes. Accounts of others caught in this horror are also included and testimonies of some amazing escapes and, of course, some terrible tragedies of those caught in the fire storm. Along with the horror of their mountain being on fire there were many fatal road accidents to contend with, as people were frantically trying to escape death.

I learned a lot from this book and how volatile Australia is to this happening again. Hyland shares how we have disregarded Indigenous wisdom in caring for the land and their respect of fire. We have made our country one of the most dangerous countries to live in, with regard to inefficient back burns and forestry care, which has created the ferocity of fires we have seen and will continue to see.

This book certainly shakes you to the bones and if nothing else it should urge you to not be complacent with fire safety. Being prepared and staying to fight in normal fire conditions would be OK but when a fire storm creates it's own weather, including wind, hail and rain, and can jump 35km in minutes, then you need to get out early, as there is nothing you can do to protect yourself. How anyone survived is just amazing, a miracle really. We know that 173 people were not so fortunate.

NOTORIOUS NINETEEN

by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum is up to her old tricks in this nineteen book in the series. She's certainly living up to her standards as bounty hunter in New Jersey, arresting those villains that have skipped bail.  True to form she has already had her car and her boyfriend, Morelli's, car blown up in the first couple of chapters. With Ranger close at hand, keeping her out of danger, as much as he can, she will still find trouble with her off-sider Lula.

I must admit, although I did enjoy it, it was the same ol' same ol'. Maybe because I'd read so many in the series it just didn't have the spark that I was used to in the others. Having said that they are always a good, light, holiday read.

THE SECRET KEEPER

by Kate Morton

Fabulous, fabulous book. Very intriguing, couldn't put it down. A story with many layers of mystery, secrets and deception.

Laurel witnesses a crime when she is a teenager. While hiding up a tree she sees her mother stab and kill a stranger, who comes to their home during a birthday party. Fifty years on, Laurel discovers some of the mystery of why this has happened and who this man was. Now her mother is close to death, and time is running out to get the answers to the many questions that has haunted her all her life. There are secrets and more secrets. All is not what it seems.

The story shifts between 1940's during the war, 1961 and 2011 and is woven around three characters whose lives will be fatefully entwined forever. There are twists and turns throughout which makes the story spellbinding. It touches on childhood memories, family tragedies and living during the London Blitz. A fantastic new release novel by an Australian author who has also written The Forgotten Garden and The Distant Hours.

OH DEAR SILVIA

By Dawn French

What an interesting read and an unusual setting. Silvia Shute has fallen from a balcony and is in hospital in a coma. She has led, what seems to be, a selfish life... or has she?

After many years of marriage she has left her husband, cut herself off from her children and only grand child and has taken up a relationship with another women. Now in a coma, just lying there, she is unable to spit venomous words to her family and friends that have come to rally around her in her time of need. Each one has their individual time with her and although at first they speak words of encouragement and try to bring her out of her coma, little by little, true feelings come out and they can't resist telling her what they really think of her, particularly while she is 'out of action'. 

But maybe there is more to Sylvia than everyone thinks. Each chapter is describing what is going on behind the closed door while each character has their time with Sylvia. At times it is quite funny, particularly what bizarre antics her sister gets up to to bring her back to reality. As you read further in this book it unravels more mysteries and everything will fall into place in a very unexpected way. Well worth a read. Thanks Dani for the Chrissy gift!

IN THAT FOREST

By Louis Nowra

This is a book with a difference. When I started reading the first page or two I thought I wasn't going to like it, but I was wrong. The story starts with a 76 year old named Hannah, who is retelling her devastating story of an incident when young, that changed her life forever. It is told in a broken English which was annoying me at first, but as I read on I realised why she spoke this way and I did eventually get used to it. 

Hannah and her family lived in the bush of Tasmania, during colonial times, when Tasmanian Tigers freely prowled the forests. It was a rugged life and she was an only child. When her neighbour and friend, Becky, comes to stay overnight because her father is away,Hannah was very excited. Her family, along with Becky, go on a nice little picnic, however, on their return a storm came in harsh and fast and capsized their little row boat, leaving Hannah and Becky to be stranded along in the wild and untamed Tasmanian forest. Not knowing if her parents where alive or dead, Hannah was petrified, being only six years of age, and Becky only a year older. Without giving too much away, they are startled as two Tasmanian Tigers approach. They are sure they will be killed until something startling happens. 

This story is heartbreaking, raw, and unforgettable story. The decisions they must make are unthinkable but what would I do to survive, lost, with no sign of help. This is a first YA novel for Louis Nowra, who was born in Melb, and is an author of many plays, non-fiction works, telemovies and film scripts.

FLOWERS OF BAGHDAD

By Bruce Lyman

This was a very touching book which I couldn't put down once I started it. It's a heart-wrenching glimpse into life in war torn Baghdad after Suddan has been executed and American soldiers are patrolling this once beautiful and bustling city. Bruce Lyman's writing is wonderful and I found myself caught up in the lives of two men, Aadil and Malik, and their families, . Two very different men but both wanting peace and to return to a happy life free from fear and pain. The fear is tangible and with you every minute of the day, always looking over your shoulder for something out of the ordinary, for fear of being killed. Malik's neighbour simply takes his garbage out to the street and is killed by a single bullet to the head in front of his young son. 
Business is almost non-existent in Malik's little shop, where he sells shirts, and the street has been damaged badly by bombings, but he still has hope... hope that one day Baghdad will return to its beauty and his family will once again have money for food and can live normal carefree lives.
Little do these two men know that their lives will be entwined in in a strange and frightening way. Each chapter in the book is told by Aadil, and Malik. There were many passages I read, then re-read, as they described with such emotion the life of the Iraqi people's existence. The writing is beautiful and poetic and as I got to know each men I longed to be able to help them and free them from such violence and loss. It's a book about friendship, faith and hope. Malik believes we are all 'flowers' in God's garden. I feel so blessed to be living in a country that is free from such pain and suffering. Reading this book will surely touch your heart and realise we all just want the same for our families.

TELL ME WHEN IT HURST

by Christine M. Whitehead

I really enjoyed this book even if it was a cheapie from Amazon I downloaded to my Kindle... an impulse buy.

We first meet Archer as a young educated women who falls in love with handsome Adam and they have a daughter, Annie. The love of her life. Everything is going along smoothly until one terrible night when on a school trip, Annie is raped and murdered. This terrible event will be the end of Archer's life as she knows it as the murderer goes free and she is left with a huge abyss in her life. The depression and struggle to live after such an event forces Archer and Adam to split up and Archer becomes a recluse living in the bush.
Living on the property next door, enter Connor. Hunk of a cowboy guy from Wyoming who is camping out on his newly inherited property. After some standoffish behaviour Archer and Connor are forced to interact which in turn leads to a wonderful love story... except Archer has secrets. She is a secret vigilante and a trained killer and is part of a group that 'makes justice happen' when the justice system let people down and destroys peoples lives.
I was engrossed in this story which peeled away layers of Archer., bit by bit, as she slowly came to terms with her daughter's terrible death and that she needed to continue to live to honour her daughter's memory. A moving story which had me in tears several times. I like it when I find a story out of the blue that really touches me like this book did.

FOAL'S BREAD

by Gillian Mears

I have to admit the cover made me take this book home. Haven't a good 'horsie' book since Silver Brumby times back in primary school, so I was expecting great things, particularly with the book winning a few awards. I was disappointed. 
From the first chapter it was doom and gloom but I persevered until almost the end when I decided I would just skip through it. (Which I never usually do). 
I get the story was set in the harsh farming conditions in outback NSW prior to the war, and it was very tough living and farming at the time, but I really found this book depressing. Noah had a dark secret, the birth of a baby from her uncle at the age of 14, which she delivered herself and cast it down a river, so no one would find out. This would haunt her all her life.
The only part I enjoyed was when Noah and Roly fell in love during their early show jumping years and started to raise their family. But the joy was short lived and there always seemed to be tragedy in their lives, which Noah blamed on herself and what she had done to her baby. The book had many reflective moments of the relationship between Noah and her uncle which put me at ease and made me want to give her a good talking to. There was sadness throughout this story and I really didn't enjoy it.

GREYLANDS

by Isobelle Carmody

After recently hearing Isobelle speaking at a conference, I couldn't help but purchase her re-release of this book (originally published in 1996). 
The story is told by Jack who is dealing with the recent death of his mother, along with his father and little sister Ellen. Jack's father has withdrawn from them both and is struggling after the death of his wife. Jack wants to reach out to him but doesn't know how.
One night Jack looks through a mirror and is surprisingly transported into another world, which is void of colour and is quite scary for him. He travels from the real world to the 'Greylands' and through his journey, he must face his fears and deal with his grief. He confides with his little sister how at times he doesn't know if he is dreaming or if this is real. He soon learns he can will himself back and forwards through the mirrors and gradually discovers why he has been going through this unbelievable experience. An interesting story.

A STRAIGHT LINE TO MY HEART

by Bill Condon

This is just a nice little story about a girl named Tiff who has finally finished school and is about to move into the next phase of her life, in her small town of Gungee. We find her in the local library reading Wuthering Heights. I love her motto "If you can't get a boy, get a book". She is interrupted by a nice boy, a footballer, who also has a love of books but offends her when all he seems to be interested in is how many raffle tickets she will buy. She later gets to know him a whole lot better!

Tiff's life hasn't been easy with her mother not long after she was born and being abandoned by others however she now lives with her surrogate grandfather Reggie and his son Bull. She has a real connection with these two and they have been her comfort over the years, unfortunately Reggie's health is declining. Tiff is given some work experience at a local newspaper as she thinks she may want to be a journalist. Tiff is a lovely down to earth girl and finds she can get through whatever challenges are thrown at her. Her best friend Kayla is a great support and they have plans to travel to Surfer's Paradise together. 

Dramas happen throughout her story and you will have a few tears towards the end. This book is about the love of reading, resilience and relationships with a touch of humour thrown in.

WINTER ROSE

by Nora Roberts

What a lovely romantic short story by Nora Roberts. A warrier prince is wounded and dying after battle, in an icy land, when along comes Deirdre a young queen who rescues him and takes him to her kingdom. 
The queen rules over a land that has been cursed by her aunt, to eternal winter and snow. She risks her own life to heal others and is trapped in a lonely life, ruling over her people, with no family of her own. 
While Prince Kylar is recovering he falls in love with Deirdre and wants to take her away from this cursed land but she will not leave her people to struggle by themselves and cannot trust her heart to love anyone.

This story reminded me of the fairy tale of Snow White. It was a beautifully written love story that had a few 'aaahhh' moments, which I enjoyed. Short and sweet but nice.

TIGER'S CURSE

by Colleen Houck

Wow, what a series! I started reading this series because a friend of mine (a book guru) said I'd love them and gave me the whole set to read. Although I adored the cover of 'Tiger's Curse', I was doubtful I would really enjoy them as I'm not really into fantasy much, but was willing to give them a try... glad I did!

Full of adventure and danger that's on a par with 'Indiana Jones',  the story starts with a teenager, Kelsey Hayes, who has just finished school and decides to get a summer job. A circus wasn't what she had in mind but straight away she grew to love the atmosphere and the people. Little did she know that her job of looking after a beautiful white tiger named Ren, would change her life forever. She is asked to escort the tiger back to India by a mysterious man and when she accepts she is soon half way across the world starting an unbelievable adventure full of mystery, magic, fear, danger, ancient prophecies and of course... romance... but not just any old romance that's for sure. She must deal with issues of 'fate', 'passion' and 'loyalty' as she finds out she is the only one who can break the ancient curse put on Ren and his brother.

A great read that you can't put down. Thanks 'book guru' for recommending it to me... I'll never doubt you again! The other books in the series are Tiger's Quest, Tiger's Voyage and Tiger's Destiny.

Watch the book trailer to get you excited about the journey.

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS

by Rebecca Skloot

What an truly incredible story. A poor, black woman named Henrietta Lacks, from Clover, Virginia,  dies a painful death of cervical cancer in 1951. No one would know her remarkable story... unless a science journalist, Rebecca Skloot, took it upon herself to investigate Henrietta and HeLa cells and write this best seller. 

After ten years of investigating, Rebecca discovers that unbeknown to Henrietta's family, her doctor had taken samples of her cancerous cells and was experimenting with them in his laboratory. 

Amazingly, Henrietta's cells stayed alive and multiplied at such a rate her doctor was able to use them in important medical research, including developing the polio vaccine, cloning, in vitro fertilisation and more. Her cells have been sold for billions of dollars and were the first living cells to be taken into space. It is twenty years on before her family become aware of what has happened and that in a strange way she is still living on. 

This books raises many questions regarding medicine, ethics and race issues. A fascinating book.

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THE BELOVED

by Annah Faulkner

I really, really loved this beautiful book. From the first page it had me and it only took a day or so to finish it... that's how much I loved it! Roberta, a young girl contracts polio and is confined to hospital for months, then forced to wear a calliper and boot. This is devastating to Roberta and her family but when she is given a set of paints she realises how much she loves art and how talented she is. She is 'special' for sure as she can see colours hovering over people she meets. Some are angry colours others are full of love and she of course paints them, but her style is very different from the 'norm' and through a set of circumstances her mother forbids her to pain any more. This is who Roberta is.... she must paint... it's what she was born to do. 

In Australia she is bullied at school, because of her gympy leg, but her life changes when her family move to New Guinea. There is so much colour there she must continue her passion.  Because I love to draw and paint I really felt the frustration Roberta felt from being banned to paint. When she discovers secrets in her mother's life her whole world is turned upside down and I wanted the story to go on and on.I won't give you any more of the story because there many highs and lows that come her way.

This story is so beautifully written. I felt like I was with little Roberta as she grew up, peering into her life, feeling her pain. It felt so real that I thought it must have been an autobiography but this was Annah Faulkner's first novel. I can't believe it!

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different

by Karen Blumenthal

At first I thought this book would be a little to 'techie' for me but I was surprised when reading it how easily the writer took you through the turbulent life of Steve Jobs, who some say 'changed our world'. Steve was adopted, dropped out of college, had many failures in his personal and business world but he kept going and as was his focus in life 'to live each day as if it was your last', he certainly did this. At times there were tantrums and outbursts and he could be quite rude to his colleagues and friends, however he never forgot his passion.

It is amazing to follow this story and how technology has changed in just a few decades. The timeline at the end of the book puts everything into context. It was Steve Jobs and his friend Steve Wozniack, who started the Apple Computer company in his father's garage and later became millionaires, and really changing how we think about our technology and devices. They certainly didn't agree all the time but had a great vision and had a symbiotic relationship. The  book touches on Steve's personal life, his outburst with companies, his own workers, his time with Pixar and of course struggle with cancer over the past ten years and his ultimate death. He certainly didn't have the nicest personality and I thought when he married and settled down he would mature a little more, but he was always focuses on himself. Some say he stole ideas from others and made them his own, and that he was greedy and ripped off his friends. Perhaps this is true, but you cannot question his futuristic vision, his perseverance and attention to detail and design, which has surely paid off and made our lives a little easier and more portable.

It certainly was worth a read and I must say.... I just love my iPhone and iPad.... so thanks Steve!

SLATED

by Teri Terry

What a gripping book. I sooo enjoyed this fabulous story.

Kyla is only 16 but has done wrong! A criminal! She's been 'slated'... her memory wiped... she has a new personality and a Levo on her wrist that monitors her emotions. If it gets too low (similar to a diabetic) she will pass out and die. This means a new start and very last chance or else. It should be OK  now and Kyla should fit into a new family and start a new life... but things are triggering Kyla's memory and she is experiencing a patchwork of nightmares. What does it all mean? Who can she trust and why do many of her friends and go missing? She confides in her friend... close friend Ben...

I loved this book from the very first page and hated having to put it down for a minute. I got to the very end and waited for all to be revealed and nooooo...! There is more to follow in the next book to be released in 2013. I will just have to wait... but I have my suspicians.

BOOK WEEK

I just loved these cup cakes made to celebrate book week. What a lot of work has gone into them. I especially love that my favourite book was featured... 

The Book Thief...enjoy!

PENNIES FOR HITLER

by Jackie French

This book is about how hatred can be contagious but it is also about how love and kindness can be equally contagious. Through all the destruction and hatred brought about by Hitler and the Nazis during WWII there were still wonderful and courageous people helping those in need.

The story begins with Georg enjoying his life growing up in Germany with his loving family. All this changes in a split second when his father is accused of being a Jew and is thrown to his death from a university window by his students, and Georg and his mother, having just witnessed this, must flee for their lives. 

He escapes from Germany inside a suitcase and is helped to travel to London to live with his aunt, leaving his mother behind. After a while London is bombed and he is no longer safe living there so his aunt sends him to Australia to live with foster parents.

He must pretend to be an English boy named George and cover up his German identity, as Australians are at war with Germany. He eventually settles into his new life in Australia and living in the country but his thoughts are never too far away from his mother and what has become of her. When the Japanese declare war on Australia and start bombing Darwin and Sydney his life is once again in turmoil.

Jackie French has once again written a fabulous historical novel, which is very thought provoking and touching. This story is not a sequel to Hitler's daughter but it shows great insight into being a child of war. I really loved it.

THE MESSENGER BIRD

by Ruth Eastham

I love a good spy read and this book beckoned me to read it after seeing the cover, reading the blurb and having previously read The Memory Cage, Ruth's first novel.

Nathan's father is arrested for breaking the Official Secrets Act and he must prove his father's innocent. To save his father he must follow the secret clues his father has left for him and follow the trail of Lilly, someone from the past who was also accused like his father. This book takes you on an interesting and dangerous ride as Nathan and his friends must solve the puzzles and codes before his father's enemies do. His father has warned him to trust no one and not to tell his mother or sister what he is doing. Time is running out for Nathan to solve the Enigma code.

This book is quick and easy to read, covering historical events. I think boys would love it.

AFTER

by Morris Gleitzman


I really enjoyed reading the final book in the series, telling young Felix's story. Within the first chapter I was already feeling at home feeling the pages wrap around me and take me back to where 'Then' had left off. I love the sad but sometimes humourous passages told through Felix's eyes, now 13.

Having survived the last two years hiding in a hole in the barn of a man named Gabriek, Felix is forced to leave his hiding place to protect his friend. He joins the Partisan living in the forest and becomes a doctor's assistant, attending to wounded and dying men.

He saves some Jewish children from starving to death and ends up helping a couple of children from the Hitler Youth. This book deals with his feelings towards the Nazi's and whether he could kill them after all the suffering they have caused. His heart is understandably hardened but he still has some of his childlike innocence. His life takes a few twists with an ending that was unexpected. Great book, beautifully written.

THE BOY WHO WOULDN'T DIE

by David Nyuol Vincent

This is an inspiring personal story of David, a 'Lost Boy' of Sudan and a child soldier. Having survived famine, war, and a long walk across the Sahara Desert, he still had to survive 17 years alone in in a refugee camp in Kenya. His only hope was to escape and find his family, his only passion was soccer.

This is 'his story' and tells of his amazing struggle of survival and finally his resettlement in Australia. Surviving the war between North and South Sudan and escaping from death many times, David thought he would be free and safe now living in Australia, only to experience racism here in Australia.

There are many others like him and some family members still living in inhumane conditions. David has become an advocate for refugees and the Sudanese community. He has established the Western Tigers Soccer team and is ,s a Victorian Human Rights Youth Ambassador and a People of Australia Ambassador. 

DRAGONKEEPER

 by Carole Wilkinson 

This was such a gorgeous story and beautifully written. I just adored it. When I finished reading Dragonkeeper I felt like I'd reallly been on a delightful journey.

This is a story of a young slave girl named Ping, who rescues a dragon, Danzi, from a wicked master and this begins her journey of trust, courage, power and love. Mixed with Chinese history and fantasy the story unravelled to reveal a touching ending.

Ping must face many dangers while protecting the dragon and a dragon stone left in her care. They were on a journey to reach the ocean many there were many perils along the way. I particularly loved the humour Danzi showed when Ping asked why he hadn't warned her of impending dangers along the way.

This is the first book in a trilogy by Carole Wilkinson and I'm looking forward to continuing the journey with Ping in 'Garden of the purple dragon' - Bk.2, 'Dragon Moon' - Bk.3, and 'Blood Brothers' Bk. 4.

Find out more about Carole Wilkinson by visiting her website http://www.carolewilkinson.com.au/art/

DIVINE CLEMENTINE

by Hayley S. Kirk 

What an interesting book. I felt like I had been on quite an emotional experience but happy with the ending.

Sixteen year old Clementine adores her twenty six-year-old Aunt Stella. She wants to be like her, act like her, travel with her... she is Clementine's closest friend. Tragedy strucks when Clementine witnesses her treasured aunt hit by a bus and killed.

It is too much for her to cope with and she has trouble dealing with her grief. When Clementine saves some treasures that belongs to Stella, along with her personal diaries, her life comes crashing down, when she finds that Stella was suffering from bipolar and depression. She feels betrayed, frustrated and can't believe all her family have lied to her all these years.

A downward spiral of depression comes upon Clementine. She doesn't want anyone to come into her world and definitely won't share her grief with family or friends. Eventually she travels to the country and stays with another aunt who has young children, and does some farm work for neighbours and meets Thom. Eventually her barriers drop and she begins to find her old self again. A great read dealing with difficult issues

THE INK BRIDGE

by Neil Grant

This book really does convey the spirit of Afghanistan and allows you to experience just a glimpse of the realities of living in this war torn country, the heart of the people, the daily struggle and the life of a refugee.

Young Omed will be killed by the Taliban if he stays, they've already cut out his tongue, he can no longer provide for his family and must flee. He is forced to team up with Snake, a very undesirable character, if he is to escape to Australia especially now he can't communicate with anyone.

When he meets Hector in a candle factory in Melbourne they become silent friends. Hector has his own story and since his mother's death hasn't spoken a word. The two 'silent' boys form an unlikely relationship that will last for many years.

This story is beautifully told and the descriptive writing is exceptional. I really enjoyed this story and although fiction it could be based on many refugee experiences.